


These Gentle Wounds

by baloobird



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Avengers 4 speculation, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I can pretend this happened until the movies come out, I'm 98.5 percent certain that this won't happen in canon, Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prediction, Speculation, Spider-Man: Far From Home Speculation, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but a girl can dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:15:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baloobird/pseuds/baloobird
Summary: The world is okay again. The snap is reversed, Thanos is destroyed. Everyone is learning to cope and move on with their lives.Well...everyone except a certain teenage superhero.





	These Gentle Wounds

**Author's Note:**

> So, I don't like any of the rumors that I've heard about Far From Home, so I just took most of everything that I've heard and wrote something that I would like to see...which means that it won't happen because I know my luck XD
> 
> Enjoy!

It’s always the same dream:

Disintegrating in Tony’s arms.

_He feels pain,_ so _much pain. He feels his bones breaking and his body desperately trying to fuse them back together, only to rip apart all over again._

“Peter?”

_But he refuses to show any of that pain in front of his hero._

“Peter, wake up.”

_As fast as the pain comes, there it goes...he feels nothing._

_He hates that part the most._

_He’d much rather feel the excruciating pain. At least then he feels_ something _._

-

“Peter!”

Peter finally wakes up with a gasp. He’s sweaty and has phantom pains flowing throughout his body.

“Peter - Peter it’s me, it’s Ned, you were just having a bad dream.”

He sees his best friend standing worriedly next to his bed and relaxes a little. Seeing Ned means that it’s over...that he’s safe.

He lightly smacks one of his hands against his mattress to make sure that it’s real.

That _he’s_ real.

He’ll then stare at said hand for a few seconds while stretching it to make sure that he’s not disappearing again, that he’s not...dying again.

He's done this same routine after every nightmare he’s had since he came back from the soul stone.

He hates how much it’s become his new normal.

“Peter...you okay, man?”

_No...not even close, actually._

Peter sits up in his bed, “Yea-Yeah, uh...thanks. Sorry I woke you up...again.”

Ned sits on the edge of his own bed across from Peter, “It’s fine, but I’m worried about you, dude. This is the third time this week.”

For the past week and a half, they’ve been on a school trip with the decathlon team. Peter didn’t really want to go, in all honesty; he’d much rather just spend his summer with Ned, May, and Tony.

Especially since it’s so soon after Tony got the snap reversed.

But ironically, it was his aunt and mentor that talked him into going. They thought that this would be good for him, not to take his mind off of everything that happened, _per se_ , but they thought that him being around his friends could lift his spirits a bit, if only for a little while.

Peter can’t help but feel like a spoiled brat; he’s experiencing the opportunity of a lifetime, visiting places around the world that some people could only ever dream of going. And sure, there have been some fun moments.

But he can’t get his mind away from _there_. He could never get himself in the right mood to actually have any fun.

So now he’s in a hotel room with Ned in wherever-the-fuck country they’re in at the moment and all he wants to be is back home in Queens.

Peter feels pangs of both guilt and embarrassment, “I’m sor - I’m sorry, I hate that I keep waking you up -”

“Peter, oh my God, stop apologizing. I sleep fine, but clearly, you don’t. Do you ever go back to sleep after I wake you up?” 

Peter ignores the question, “I’m, uh...gonna go for a walk.”

“But it’s like three AM.”

“I won’t be long, I just...need some air.”

Ned looks hesitant, like he doesn’t want his friend wandering off alone. He sighs in defeat, “Okay...but remember that we gotta be outta here in a few hours.”

Peter gives him a nod before getting his phone and wallet - which his room key is in - and leaving the room.

He walks down to the elevators because that’s where the vending machines are. He’s always hungry after a nightmare and has wondered if these episodes make his metabolism burn faster than usual.

He uses his whatever-the-fuck currency from wherever-the-fuck country he’s in to get some snacks before wandering down the hall. He comes across a small sitting area that consists of a couple of chairs and a coffee table. Since it’s the wee hours of the morning, no one else is there.

He’s still a bit wound up so he starts in on the snacks to try and calm himself down. He slouches until his head is resting atop the chair and closes his eyes, irrationally thinking that it’ll make his rapid heartbeats lessen.

Ned wasn’t wrong when he said that it’s the third time this week, but what he doesn’t know is that the number has been more than that before.

Peter thinks that he should be used to it by now; the whole only-sleeping-half-the-night thing. He’s read that the average human can get used to sleeping only a few hours a night after a certain amount of time.

Apparently, it hasn’t worked for him yet. He’s so tired...he’s so damn tired.

He hates sleep as much as he craves it. He needs the rest, but it also means that he’ll just go back _there_.

He needs to hear a friendly voice; someone who can at least somewhat understand.

_Even though no one truly does._

His thumb hovers over Tony’s contact name. Does he really want to bother Tony with this? His hero is halfway across the world dealing with his own issues, would he be annoyed if Peter told him about his?

Peter taps the call button before he thinks anymore about it.

The call is halfway through the first ring when the teen realizes that he has no clue of what the time difference is. Would Tony be sleeping? He’s just about to hang up when he hears a gruff but comforting voice at the other end of the line.

“Hey, kiddo. Now if my world clock is correct, it’s about three AM where you’re at; so the question is: why are you calling me at three in the morning? You’re not trying to turn into me, are you?”

Peter smiles at that. As if being Tony Stark would ever be a bad thing.

“I just - uh...wanted to check on you and say ‘hi’...I didn’t wake you up or anything, did I?”

Tony doesn’t even need to see him to know that that’s a blatant lie. “Nope, just in the lab. Y’know that you never need to make up an excuse to call me, right?”

Peter’s cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment, “Right - right. Sorry.”

Tony chuckles, “Kid, stop with the sorries, I’m not mad.” His voice turns soft, “You wanna talk about it?”

Tony knows exactly why Peter called because this isn’t their first rodeo. The kid’s called multiple times after Thanos was destroyed, confiding to his mentor about nightmares and worries of possibly turning into an insomniac.

Peter lets out a deep sigh, “I think you can already predict what it’s about. I’m starting to sound like a broken record, Mr. Stark.”

Tony’s heart clenches in sympathy. If he could take away his kid’s pain and put it on himself, he would’ve done it already. He puts down his tools and settles in his chair, intending to give the spider-boy his undivided attention.

“I’m so sorry, kid. Stuff like this...it just takes time. How’s everything going with that therapist Strange suggested?”

When the nightmares started to manifest, Doctor Strange recommended Dr. Ludwig Rinehart to Tony for Peter. Dr. Rinehart specializes in dealings with trauma and PTSD, like with soldiers returning from war, sexual assault survivors, or in Peter’s case, everything that happened on Titan. Strange trusts that the doctor is to be trusted with Peter’s secret identity and he’s a little younger in age, which might get the kid to open up more.

“He’s fine, I like him.”

That statement is actually true. They’ve only had a handful of sessions, but so far he seems like a nice guy who knows what he’s doing. They even had a session whilst on the trip via Skype.

But while the teen does like the therapist...he’s not Tony.

“Just ‘fine’? Kid, if he’s not working for ya, say the word and we’ll find someone else.”

“No, no. No really, he’s helping it’s just…I’m impatient, I guess.”

Tony hums in understanding, “Yeah, I get that. I promise you that it’s gonna get better, Pete. You still didn’t answer my question: do you wanna talk about it?”

Peter bites his lip and hesitates before responding, “Can I?”

“You never have to ask, kiddo.”

So Peter talks.

And Tony listens.

The kid was right, it is the same dream, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less terrifying.

Peter spews so much word vomit that he’s almost out of breath when he’s done. But he does feel so much better after letting everything out, especially when it’s paired with Tony’s various soothing, encouraging reassurances.

The spiderling is sick of talking about himself, so he turns it back to Tony, “So, uh, how are you, how was your day?”

The mechanic smiles as he explains his day which consists of attending boring meetings, trying to get the Rogue Avengers pardoned, and fiddling with suit upgrades.

What Peter doesn’t know is that Tony isn’t telling the whole truth when he says “suit upgrades.” He’s actually designing Peter a brand new Spider-Man suit as a surprise for when he gets back. Since the snap got reversed, Peter refuses to go out patrolling in his Iron Spider suit, opting for the first suit that Tony made instead. Honestly, who can blame him...he did _die_ in it.

Tony can’t wait to see the look on his kid’s face when he sees it.

“So kid, you haven’t talked about your trip, how’s it going so far?”

Peter’s voice unconsciously goes up an octave, “It’s fun. I’ve seen a lot of cool sites and stuff.”

Tony’s eyebrows narrow in concern, “You certainly don’t sound like you’re having fun. Is it because of the nightmares?”

“Well - yeah, but I also just...I miss you. And May.”

Tony hears the sadness in the kid’s voice and feels a pang of guilt for talking him into this. “I miss you too, bud. You homesick? You wanna come home? I'll make it happen.”

“Mr. Stark, you can’t do that.”

Tony laughs, “Mr. Parker, I totally _can_ do that and I totally will. I can be there in a jet faster than you can say ‘Thanos.’”

That’s actually a really tempting offer. Peter mulls it over for a few seconds before giving his response, “Thanks, but...I’m okay, really. I need to do something that’s at least somewhat normal and traveling is what normal people do.” On a lighter note, he adds, “Plus, I can’t just leave Ned to fend for himself, y’know?”

Tony gets it. He wants to be normal again - well, as normal as a teenage superhero can be, anyway. Tony completely gets it.

“I understand, kiddo, but the offer’s still on the table if you change your mind, okay?”

Peter smiles gratefully, “Thanks, Mr. Stark, not just for that, but for, uh, everything.”

Tony smiles back, “Anytime, kid. It may not seem like it now, but there’s a light at the end of that tunnel. And don’t _ever_ be afraid to call me, okay? No meeting in the universe is worth more than you.”

Peter’s cheeks flush again, but this time it’s from the good kind of embarrassment, “Aw shucks, Mr. Stark. You’re getting soft in your old age.”

Tony chuckles, “You tell anyone about this, I’ll take your suit away again, punk.”

Peter lets out a snort. This is good, they’re ending the call on a funny note. This is good. “Thanks again, Mr. Stark. I - I guess I better go now, huh?”

“Yeah, try and squeeze in another hour or so of sleep, alright?”

“Okay...but only if you do too.”

The hero smirks, “Ever heard the saying, ‘Do as I say, not as I do’? You better use it.”

Peter fondly rolls his eyes, “Okay, okay...I’ll try. Bye, Mr. Stark.”

“Bye, kiddo. I’ll see you soon.”

They end the call and Peter is surrounded by uneasy silence. There’s no guarantee that he’ll sleep anymore tonight, but at least he feels better for the time being.

He knows that he has a long road ahead of him. A simple phone call to his hero won’t cure whatever he’s got going on in his head.

But it’s one hell of a start.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream at me on Tumblr! @baloobird


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